LINDEN — At a depth of 95 feet, an FBI team digging up a Linden well for the remains of murder victims said they have recovered remnants of a discarded fence in the muddy soil, but no human bones.

The Record

LINDEN — At a depth of 95 feet, an FBI team digging up a Linden well for the remains of murder victims said they have recovered remnants of a discarded fence in the muddy soil, but no human bones.

In five weeks, the excavation team at work on Flood Road east of Linden has burrowed to the equivalent of four stories down, removing 50 cubic feet of soil.

This marks the second attempt to unearth the murder victims of killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog. One year ago, investigators recovered the remains of three women and a fetus from a nearby well. On Jan. 7, the FBI began excavation of this second well. The team is hand-sifting soil removed from the well, documenting everything they find, FBI spokeswoman Gina Swankie said.

Shermantine and Herzog were arrested in 1999, ending their 15-year, methamphetamine-fueled killing spree. Shermantine was sentenced to death row, and Herzog committed suicide early last year.

Read Wednesday's Record for more on this story by staff writer Scott Smith.